Failed Asylum Seeker Claims Woman 'Wanted Sex' in Brighton Beach Gang Rape Trial
A failed asylum seeker accused of participating in a gang rape on Brighton Beach has told the court he believed the alleged victim "wanted to have sex" and was not intoxicated during the incident. Egyptian national Ibrahim Alshafe, aged 25, is on trial alongside co-defendants Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, also from Egypt, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian national, for the alleged attack that occurred in the early hours of October 4 last year.
Alleged Attack on Brighton Beach
The 33-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police she was separated from her friends during a night out in Brighton before being dragged onto the beach by the men. Speaking at Lewes Crown Court, she described being so drunk she could barely stand and said the "evil men" had ruined her life. Prosecutors allege the men acted as a pack and "treated her like meat for entertainment."
Defendant's Controversial Testimony
Alshafe, who is from Alexandria, denied rape and claimed the woman approached him and Ahmadi around 5:30 AM. He testified that she kissed and groped them before expressing a desire for sex. "I wouldn't say she was drunk," Alshafe told the jury. "What I saw from what she did and the way she is laughing, that she wanted to have sex. This is everything that came to my mind."
The migrant, who said he was a virgin before the incident, admitted he could not explain how the woman sustained marks on her neck. He described being happy to "try something like that for the first time" and claimed the woman was conscious and "enjoying what we were doing" throughout, never saying "stop" or attempting to leave.
Video Evidence and Co-Defendant's Role
The court was shown three videos filmed by Al-Danasurt during the alleged attack, including one clip where Alshafe is seen slapping the woman. Alshafe testified that Ahmadi was having sex with the woman simultaneously while Al-Danasurt recorded. Prosecutors accused Al-Danasurt of sharing "trophy" footage, which he denied, claiming he filmed to gather evidence for police. He admitted not seeking help or raising the alarm during the incident.
Background and Legal Proceedings
Alshafe revealed his asylum claim was denied on the day he traveled to Brighton from an asylum hotel near Horsham, West Sussex, where he had been living since arriving from France in June 2025. He told the court it was his first time in a club, where he observed "how boys behaved in clubs, how girls behaved in clubs." Sussex Police stated the attack occurred at the lower esplanade.
Alshafe denies two counts of rape, Ahmadi denies two counts of rape, and Al-Danasurt denies four counts of rape and one count of sharing three video clips. The trial at Lewes Crown Court continues as the jury deliberates the conflicting accounts of the events on Brighton Beach.
